The dreaded Special Anti-Corruption Unit headed by President Mnangagwa’s nephew Mr Tabani Mpofu has been fingered in corruption itself by residents amid claims that they were bribed with Bhuffhill residential stands by Harare City Council officials.
Addressing a heated press conference yesterday afternoon on the state of affairs in Harare council, Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trust’s (znoart) chairman Mr Shalvar Chikomba claimed that SACU head Mpofu was captured by Harare town clerk Engineer Hosea Chisango facing a slew of corruption allegations.
“While SACU is showing no sense of urgency to facilitate the trials of all the accused, it must prove beyond doubt that it has not fallen a victim of the deeply corrupt tendencies of some Councilors and the top managers that are currently on bail.
“We are reliably informed that Town Clerk Hosea Chisango may have illegally allocated some officials at SACU some land in Bluffhill, Kuwadzana and some places that are still being investigated at this point in time,” he said.
Mr Chikomba said SACU must prove that their reluctance to put these people on trial and the continued harassment of witnesses has nothing to do with these allegations.
“If it is proved that some officials at SACU were indeed given residential stands irregularly, if it pleases His Excellency, then all the cases under their care must be transferred immediately to another competent Agency that is established for that purpose,” he said.
Mr Chikomba said they were reliably informed that SACU has been carrying out selective arrests especially of persons who are potential witnesses on the Chisango case.
“Chisango was allowed back in office improperly and he interfered with witnesses and was alleged to have connived with his supporters in the system to destroy all implicating evidence and ensuring that all the people handling his corruption matters are dealt with.
“There were counter reports on witnesses by arrested persons and even in the absence of credible evidence, SACU showed active interest in the cases and was keen to arrest on basis of reports submitted by bitter arrested officials. Successful convictions will just be but a dream,” he said.
Below is unedited press conference report
4 February 2021
ZIMBABWE NATIONAL ORGANISATION OF ASSOCIATIONS AND RESIDENTS TRUST’S (ZNOART) CONCERNS IN STATE OF AFFAIRS IN HARARE COUNCIL
SACU COMPROMISED BY HOSEA CHISANGO AND HIS CARTEL
1.0 Introduction
It is now common knowledge that City of Harare top managers and some Councilors have been accused of very serious corruption charges and those accused have been arrested on the basis of documented evidence.
Under normal circumstances, all the managers who are implicated in such cases should have gone through an internal hearing process to determine if indeed the allegations leveled against them are true and if found as such, appropriate action is taken accordingly.
However, this has not happened partly because those who should preside over the council hearings are either implicated in these corrupt activities or have been suspended by a Town Clerk who is on bail on several charges but has been inadvertently allowed to exercise executive authority when he is under restraint by the courts.
Failure to invoke Council procedures when there are such serious allegations clearly demonstrates that Council is now totally unable to function and is no longer in a position to carry out its mandate competently. There is no longer any excuse to allow this administratively insecure environment to exist beyond this point.
The entire administration at City of Harare proves beyond any doubt the need for Government to serve the situation in the interests of the residents and public accountability of public institutions.
Equally disturbing is a situation where Councilors who are on bail continue to play a cat and mouse game with the law and blatantly violate the law by attempting to assume office when on suspension by the Ministry of Local government.
Councillor Mkunguma Luckson inappropriately caused the reinstatement of staff that have pending cases in court against a position already taken to prevent interference with evidence and witnesses. If such actions do not amount to professional arrogance and a willful disregard for the law where then are we going as a City and can we as residents have assurance that the City will recover from the current effects of mismanagement?
- Formality of Investigations
The investigations into all the transgressions were conducted by a legitimate City Council Department whose mandate is to ensure that all cases of misconduct, corruption and abuse of office are investigated and where there is clear evidence that criminal actions were committed, such cases are referred to relevant state agencies that have investigative and prosecution authority.
This was done well above the board and all relevant documents narrating the various incidents of corruption or abuse of office were handed over to allow cases to be processed for prosecution.
1.2 Our Concerns as Residents
There are decisions that we believe were taken that raise a lot of concern about the seriousness of SACU in particular in tackling the cases from the City of Harare.
As residents of Harare, we are concerned that City fathers and administrators have failed to provide residents with clean water, good roads and a myriad of services. In some cases, they have failed to pay their staff resulting in the disruption of services to the community. This is abundantly clear because the City is littered with piles of uncollected rubbish, residents are struggling to get water and if they do, there is no guarantee that such water is clean.
Our greatest concern and worry is that despite overwhelming evidence that crimes were committed, no case has been tried as yet and at the rate at which things are going, we are concerned that the ill gotten wealth from the illegal sale of land and other vices that had the capacity to generate resources could now be used to frustrate the handling of the corruption cases from the City of Harare.
While we do not want to interfere with justice processes, we however feel that major witnesses to these corruption issues are now being victimized by the same organization that purports to be fighting corruption and this effectively means that all these cases will suffer a lack of competent witnesses thereby weakening most if not all of them. What started as a good cause that we were all proud about has turned into the very thing we are fighting- corruption.
We have reached a stage where as residents we demand transparency on handling of these cases and also the trial of everyone who has a case to answer as a matter of urgency because the harm that has been caused to the residents of Harare is now a matter of great public concern.
1.3 Prevention of Corruption
While SACU is showing no sense of urgency to facilitate the trials of all the accused, it must prove beyond doubt that it has not fallen a victim of the deeply corrupt tendencies of some Councilors and the top managers that are currently on bail.
We are reliably informed that Town Clerk Hosea Chisango may have illegally allocated some officials at SACU some land in Bluffhill, Kuwadzana and some places that are still being investigated at this point in time. We have also noted that witnesses are now being arrested on made-up allegations. This is the major reason why we are concerned. SACU must prove that their reluctance to put these people on trial and the continued harassment of witnesses has nothing to do with these allegations. If it is proved that some officials at SACU were indeed given residential stands irregularly, if it pleases His Excellency, then all the cases under their care must be transferred immediately to another competent Agency that is established for that purpose.
1.4 Loss of Confidence in Current City Leadership
As residents of Harare, we no longer have confidence in the current City administration on the basis of what has transpired so far and it is clear that the city fathers and the city top managers have converted the City of Harare into a private corporation that funds their private interests at the expense of the residents.
There is no way this can be allowed to continue further than this point because city fathers and the top managers have no unlimited legal protection when their failures and corrupt actions have led to the incapacitation of the City of Harare resulting in unmitigated failure to deliver services to the residents.
City of Harare has lost its pole position except that it is the Capital City otherwise everything that has happened to the City under the current administration defies all management theories and practice and makes public administration look like a big joke.
The government Vision of 2030 has already been severely affected by the state of affairs as City of Harare has a huge part to play in the realization of the Vision given that all major economic activities radiate from the Capital City.
The failures of the City of Harare can no longer be left to a group that has demonstrated an unlimited capacity to concentrate on improper ways of accumulating wealth and plundering public assets with impunity. We demand a stop to this trend so that Harare can for once be given a chance to recover from the accumulated effects of mismanagement.
2.0 Cartelization of the City Administration
From our general observation based on facts that have been deposited in the public media and reliance on credible sources, we see the emergence of a cartel led by Town Clerk Hosea Chisango. This group seems to be relying on targeting influential people in all sectors of public life and public institutions and seek to co-opt them through unsavory means into their dirty games.
This cannot be disputed because there are people in key positions that have either been suspended or are actively being investigated because of alleged complicity or connivance with this cartel.
It is not a secret that the former Acting Human Capital Director Matthew Marara stands accused of having made millions by illegally selling Council or state land and surprisingly, nothing seems to be moving to prove or disprove these claims.
One Edgar Dzehonye a Principal Director at the Department of Housing was the key Actor in most cases involving the illegal land deals and to our dismay, SACU seems to be prioritizing his role as a witness to these crimes and not his part in criminal actions that have caused even the catastrophe we have witnessed during this rainy season where houses built on unsuitable places [wetlands] have been affected by floods. We cannot defeat corruption using such flimsy excuses. We need action taken that will prove that crime does not pay.
At the rate these cases are going, the residents of Harare are most likely to be the losers. Chisango is causing a lot of discord and despondency in the City of Harare ranks pitting employees against each other, influencing harassment and mudslinging of people handling his corruptions cases internally and cultivating ungovernable behavior all at the expense of service delivery.
It is no secret that Councillor Mkunguma would rather sacrifice principles and public accountability in favor of maintaining a weak and corrupt system to cover his alleged corrupt dealings and those of the rest of the corrupt officials.
This is why he was in a hurry to sign an order to bring Chisango back at work when his was out on bail. Chisango in turn brought back the Principal Housing Officer Edgar Dzehonye without following procedures for the same corrupt reasons.
3.0 What are the Issues in this Case?
From a variety of sources, it is clear that Chisango and his team including some Councilors have been accused of the following charges;
Abuse of public office
Corruption
Gross management of City affairs
Derelection of duty
There is an implied case of misallocation and misuse of resources at the City because such is unavoidable when management and responsibility have collapsed to the extent currently seen at City of Harare
These are serious allegations and the only way that the public can regain trust in the current City administration is when the law has been allowed to take its course transparently otherwise government must intervene without delay to clear the mess that now engulfs the City.
3.1 Effects of these Malpractices
Damage to the reputation of the President, the government and the City as a result of incessant reference to corruption on daily basis
Severe disruption of efficient delivery of services
Collapse of City management and leadership
Exposing residents to dangerous environmental hazards
Under normal circumstances, the impact of these issues on the quality of life of residents should generally been given priority and there is no reason why this should not apply in this case.
Local Authorities have their existence at law and that comes with specific responsibilities which if not attended to should lead to some kind of penalty.
As residents of Harare, we are now at that stage where we need protection from the actions of City leaders who seem to have failed dismally to fulfill their mandate to serve the City of Harare.
4.0 Should we Have Confidence in the Current Legal Process?
The legal process must generally give confidence to the residents that corruption cases will be pursued vigorously to the end. As residents we are slowly beginning to believe that the cases against city Councilors and top managers may never reach trial stage because of questionable actions we have seen being taken in pursuit of justice.
4.1 Challenges
We are reliably informed that SACU has been carrying out selective arrests especially of persons who are potential witnesses on the Chisango case and if this is true, it amounts to the victimization of witnesses.
Chisango was allowed back in office improperly and he interfered with witnesses and was alleged to have connived with his supporters in the system to destroy all implicating evidence and ensuring that all the people handling his corruption matters are dealt with.
There were counter reports on witnesses by arrested persons and even in the absence of credible evidence, SACU showed active interest in the cases and was keen to arrest on basis of reports submitted by bitter arrested officials. Successful convictions will just be but a dream.
4.2 SACU and Chisango
From our observations, SACU moved very slowly and cautiously in relation to allegations against Chisango.
When Chisango was formally reported to the authorities, he reacted by suspending the Director of Works Chawatama who was a key witness to his case.
Chisango was eventually arrested because of pressure from the Public Safety Investigation Team and he went to court but was released on bail, he became the first arrest by SACU on land scandals who was not remanded in custody.
Councilor Mkunguma who was Acting Mayor wrote a letter inviting Chisango to resume his duties even though there was an agreed position that all council employees involved in corrupt land deals who are on bail should remain on leave pending finalization of their cases to avoid interference with witnesses. When he returned to the office, he ordered the Public Safety Department that that had investigated him to report to him directly despite objection from the Acting Chamber Secretary at the time.
Chisango took that decision without the restructuring exercise being carried out as is the norm in Council. There was equally no Council Resolution on the matter and therefore made it an illegal instruction but he went ahead all the same.
SACU could have ordered a re-arrest of Chisango for violating his bail conditions but did not do so until there was pressure for action from a number of quarters.
Chisango suspended Chief Security Officer Tongowona and Chief Superintendent to eliminate persons with direct connection to his issues.
Stanley Mungofa who had assumed the role of Acting Human Capital Director and was handling the internal hearing on Chisango was suspended and replaced by a close ally Matengarufu who also stopped all investigations on Chisango.
In the end, Chisango was arrested by a Police Unit that works with SACU. On what appeared to be retaliation on Chisango’s arrest, SACU made groundless allegations against Chief Security Officer Tongowona on another allegation of interfering with a witness. Tongowona had earlier on been arrested on a “cooked up” allegation where the main witness involved was not even called to verify what formed the basis of the case itself instead a wounded and previously arrested person involved in multiple land crimes, Edgar Dzehonye was made the witness.
The latest attempt to frustrate the process is the harassment of Engineer Chawatama who is being accused of having appointed himself an Acting Town Clerk a position he assumed when Chisango was re-arrested since he was the only substantive director on duty during that period. We are of the opinion that he acted in the best interest of the citizens and it was the only logical thing to do. We have every reason to believe he is being pursued because he is a witness against Chisango and since there are alleged “benefits”, Chisango’s case is being weakened on purpose before trial. It is also important to note that Dr Chingombe was arrested for reasons related to protecting Chisango’s position as Town Clerk. Dr Cainos Chingombe was again arrested on flimsy allegations which were dismissed by the court which again did not go down well with SACU officials who went on to re-arrest him the next morning on new charges.
Dzehonye who is at the centre of land deals has been elevated to a super witness status by SACU and is now being used against genuine witnesses in order to frustrate any prospect of getting the cases to trial. It is indeed a sad development to the Residents of Harare who suffer needlessly because of these misdeeds and with many still trying to recover from demolitions and the current floods on wetlands.
5.0 Conclusion
SACU must prove beyond any doubt that they are not improperly tied to a relationship with Chisango and his cartel for purposes of obstructing justice.
There is need to equally confirm that they are not frustrating informants from submitting information that corroborates and support alleged improper actions.
The current city of Harare leadership no longer has capacity to deal with the complex challenges that face the City and we believe that it is incumbent upon government to take the responsibility of driving the City back on course in the interests of the residents and general development.
Harare has been systematically impoverished by actions of a corrupt and incompetent leadership and whatever the law says must not override the need to refocus the City of Harare on its core mandate.
For and on behalf of Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trusts ( ZNOART)
Shepherd Shalvar Chikomba
ZNOART (National Chairman)
0772882545
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